The gateways to the beach are objects of pleasure by Wendy O. Dixon
When it was first conceived, part of the Seaside’s town design was to have accessible beaches. The beach pavilions, dotted along the south side of each of Seaside’s streets, provide a gateway to the beach, as well as a protected area for the dune system. Each pavilion is different from the others, reflecting the unique visions of the award-winning architects who designed them. As a continuing series, The Seaside Times explores each pavilion’s unique features.
Mohney Pavilion Architects: David Mohney and Joan Chan
Co-author of the book “Seaside: Making a Town in America,” David Mohney was first involved with Seaside as a curator of the Seaside exhibition in New York. Mohney and his partner, Joan Chan, eventually designed the iconic pavilion at Bud & Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant. The pavilion’s design echoes the Temple of Vesta in Rome, with its most recognizable features being the circular shape and evenly spaced columns. Chan and Mohney’s pavilion is distinguished by its pure geometry and precise interaction with light. It was intended as a small-town Pantheon with an oculus and coffering rendered in wood construction. Originally, it was also intended as a pavilion/clubhouse for Seaside residents on east-west streets. In early 2017, a new beach access was added south of the Mohney pavilion.
David Mohney is Dean of the Michael Graves College at Kean University in New Jersey and Wenzhou-Kean University in China. The college offers programs in architecture and four design disciplines. Previously he served as dean and professor of architecture at the College of Design at the University of Kentucky. Mohney has also taught at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York City, the Graduate School of Design at Harvard, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. He was educated at Cranbrook School in Michigan, Harvard College and Princeton’s School of Architecture.